Developmental screening in community health care centers and pediatric practices: an evaluation of the Baby Steps Program.

The Baby Steps Program (Easter Seals of New Hampshire, 2003) is a child-find program that introduces developmental specialists into health care settings to conduct developmental screenings with children during well-child visits. This article presents the Baby Steps Program model, summaries of screening and referral data, and the results of 3 focus groups designed to assess the viability of introducing this model in pediatric practices and community health centers. A total of 3,343 children received developmental screenings over 43 months. Several themes emerged from the focus groups that provided insights into conducting developmental screenings with health care practice settings. The Baby Steps Program was effective at identifying children eligible for early intervention, referring children to alternative community resources, and improving the capacity of health care providers to screen and serve children experiencing developmental delays.